Verso

Project: Verso

Name: Diane Richard, Engagement Strategist/Writer; Kris Thayer, Engagement Strategiest/Designer
Division/Department: Design & Editorial
Other Mia departments involved: Visual Resources, Curatorial, Learning & Innovation, Media & Technology
Project date(s): 2012–2015 (12 issues)

Audience/user: Art lovers, Mia supporters—anyone with curiosity and a tablet.

Project goals: Available free on tablets, Verso: Unveiling the Backstory delivered multimedia content, image-rich storytelling, and self-guided exploration to a tech-savvy demographic worldwide over the publication run of 12 issues. Each issue offered focused interaction with artworks rendered in vibrant color and high resolution, backlit by the screen, to bring the art within reach of distance users and to enrich the experience of users on-site at the museum. Verso allowed users to spin images of 3-D artwork, zoom to details, swipe to discover new content, hear experts describe special objects, test their perceptions with art-matching games, and access information at the depth that they chose, from fun facts to scholarly interpretation. They were able to explore aspects of artworks they would not have been able to see in the galleries, where they cannot scrutinize the back of the canvas or bring a piece of lace up to their eyes to examine its intricate stitchery.

Project description: Verso provided a digital antidote to American perceptions that museums are dull, elitist, antisocial spaces. Through its multimedia storytelling, Verso invited users behind the scenes, offering immersive content about conservation techniques, curatorial initiatives, and engaging puzzles and interactive features they would never have found elsewhere.

Prior to Verso, Mia’s quarterly print magazine for museum members called Arts had recently ceased publication. Mia’s approach to the presentation of gallery content was in the process of being refreshed, and although the website contained some images and text about the collection, most remained hidden from public sight. Visual Resources routinely documented collection objects, but viewers lacked a medium by which to see them. Exhibition catalogues were our primary way to engage audiences, but they are a deep-deep dive typically for connoisseurs. We wanted to create public-facing content that lifted the curtain on museum practice invited users to engage with Mia’s extraordinary collection in a whole new way. Consumer appetite for tablet publications, greater opportunities for one-on-one learning, and global access drove the strategy behind Verso.

Internally, the work behind Verso enhanced cross-department collaboration and provided a new workflow model for designers and writers. Externally, Verso allowed users to peruse the content at their own desired depth, from fun facts to scholarly interpretation. Importantly, Verso extended the museum’s reach beyond its traditional core audience, who were the readership of its member print magazine, to a global digital platform. Verso had users in dozens of countries (Figure 2): approximately 80% came from the U.S., 10% from China, and the rest from more than 60 countries. One reader in Borneo repeatedly shared her appreciation with us: “★★★★★ Absolutely brilliant! I live in the tiniest country in the world, following my husband’s work. It’s a place devoid of galleries and museums and is hard to travel to and from. With this app…I can keep up with and enjoy art on an international level until I return. Well done MIA, keep up the great work!”

Other reviews:

“★★★★★  A new day in appreciating art! High interactivity, many choices, lots to learn and see, both depth and breadth. Great app. Opens my eyes to a whole new experience with art.

“★★★★★   Elegant! And seamlessly doing what’s supposed to do.”

“The elegance of it all is mesmerizing, and the imagination behind it is as playful as it is techno-savvy. Digital publications don’t get any better.”

“The Minneapolis Institute of Arts’ digital magazine, Verso, is a work of art all its own.” January 1, 2014, Tad Simmons, Contributing editor, MSP Magazine

Evaluation tools: We evaluated Verso based on number of downloads and the results of three user surveys. Google analytics, App Store ratings/reviews, and App Annie provided download and geographic data (Figure 3), and Adobe DPS embedded analytics offered depth of viewer engagement with different types of content (Figure 4). For example, we were able to see which articles were most popular (and which was were not) and what type of media was most often accessed (audio, video, game, etc.). This information informed both our selection of content and choice of creation tools for future issues.

Resources used: Two principle content producers—a writer/editor and a designer/developer—conceived and produced each issue, in consultation with an internal team of content specialists, photographers, technicians, and curators. Contract videographers and an Adobe specialist rounded out the team. The project was not initially budgeted for, but later a grant sustained it.

Reflection

What worked? Users who discovered Verso loved it. Verso was designed to be a beautiful, immersive experience, delivered on tablet.

What were the challenges? Verso had three principal failings:

1) Because Verso was designed for maximal beauty on tablets, its platform was not responsive for smartphone or web users.

2) Verso was built using a proprietary platform (Adobe DPS), making it less adaptable for other uses.

3) Promotions of Verso editions—both on the digital newsstand and within the museum itself—were not identified as a priority.

4) Verso’s media-rich content can still be accessed via a web viewer on Mia’s website, but its assets were designed for and are best viewed on tablet, making substitutions so far inferior.

What was surprising? Apple ranked Verso on its What’s Hot list nearly every issue (Figure 1). The readership was global, drawing audiences from Chanhassen, Minn., to China to Brazil to Borneo. Publications and digital communications staff in the museum industry were eager to discuss its merits and shortcomings. It received three industry awards, two national, one international.

Relevance

At Mia: Mia embraced a multimedia experiment that energized staff and industry peers in the creation and delivery of content in bold new ways. Verso published 12 issues that were full of original content, stretching the boundaries of traditional media—both in the museum industry and publishing at large. Viewers/users were enthusiastic, but Verso failed for lack of promotions both on the Newsstand, thanks to user trends in a changing technology marketplace and appetite for responsive design, and by museum marketing channels.

In the museum field: An experiment of this sort has the potential to foster new cross-departmental collaborations, acquire new skills, expand job descriptions, create new workflows, raise one’s profile within the organization and industry, and illustrate to the public how forward-thinking an organization is. New communication channels may also appeal to untraditional audiences, allowing the museum to attract and deepen relationships beyond the traditional visitor while satisfying those digitally curious. Have a vision, identify your leader(s), find your collaborators and get them on board. Make sure you have management’s support and resources (time and money) to effectively execute your project. And consider both the benefits and drawbacks inherent in your platform choice.

Public: The public should care because all we do is in the service of the collection and our audience! Experiments like this can deepen our understanding of cultures in delightful and surprising new ways while showcasing content—images, behind-the-scenes stories, games—that would otherwise go unseen or unheard.

 

Figures:

_{Figure 1: Verso on “What’s Hot” in the App Store, beating out hundreds of other arts-related apps.}

 

_{Figure 2: Selected Verso App Store reviews}

_{Figure 3: Verso readership trends}

 

_{Figure 4: Data visualization used to analyze Verso readership habits (per Adobe DPS embedded analytics)}